Mutable Quality

“You’ve heard the adjective Mercurial. These folk are adept, quick thinkers, and eccentric and diverse…you never know which one of the Twins will appear… .”

Gemini (May 21-June 21), the sign of the Twins, is the third of the Zodiac Signs. Generally, Gemini Star Signs suit their Planetary Ruler Mercury quite well. The planet is the closest one to the Sun in our Solar System and, as a result, it has the fastest path around the luminary, with what is called an eccentric orbit. Apparently, it’s the swiftness of the planet moving across the night sky that was observed by ancient Roman astronomers, thus, leading them to name the planet after the Roman winged-footed messenger god, Mercury. This swiftness and eccentricity have made Mercury an elusive capture for astronomers, allowing only one side or part to be viewed at a time. Apparently, because of this, it’s the least studied planet in our Solar System. Until recently, that is. NASA’s aptly named probe, the MESSENGER, has dutifully provided a complete map of the planet — and not in one take, mind you, but many! Completely mapped for the first time this year, the images reveal a planet that’s more complex and dynamic than first thought (from its dense geology to its varying daily surface temperatures and difficulty to access, requiring a number of complex orbits by the probe). Like the Planet, there is more to those born under this Planetary Ruler than can be seen in “one take.”

You’ve heard the adjective Mercurial. These folk are adept, quick thinkers, and eccentric and diverse in their own right (you never know which one of the Twins will appear…the chatty or shy one, the involved or aloof one, the funny or serious one, etc.). It’s no accident that Geminis can be hard to grasp and hold on to! This is made only more so with the sign’s Element of Air. Think of trying to grasp a wisp of fog or smoke and to hold onto it…It’s light, ever-changing — and impossible to do. The best thing to do is let these folks form to the moment, as is wont of Mutable Signs anyway: They usually have no trouble adapting to new situations and people — in fact, variety is really their spice for life. If a situation (or the people) doesn’t change up, they will flit off like a butterfly in search of some new curiosity. This can make them fun companions who are always game to try something different. The Element and Quality of Gemini also allows them to leave one “scene” for another, whether it’s a relationship, job or home, with ease and without much emotional ado (unlike that a Fixed or Water Sign might exhibit). This ability to move on easily is admired by some and loathed by others. That said, most who really know a Gemini soul can’t deny their generally lighthearted and sweet natures. However, Geminis would do well to keep their addiction to variety in check, for it can place them in danger of becoming scattered and unable to focus as they flit about life. This addiction can also manifest as fickleness. A plan made is a plan that can change with these folks. While their need to keep their minds agile with diverse interests remains with them for a lifetime, their fickleness does tend to abate as they mature — and as the people in their lives mature and finally accept to enjoy the spice they can add to life. Fun or frustration? That’s up to you!

The House of GeminiGemini’s natural home in the Zodiac Wheel is in the Third House, the House of Communication and Travel (short trips), among other things. So, if a person’s Third House is ruled by Gemini and/or if he/she has a Celestial Body residing there, they are likely noted for their communication style and as someone who needs a lot of action and diversity, which can often be satisfied through socializing and travel. What that means is when they are wearing their “Talkative Twin” face, don’t be surprised to find them out and about in the ‘hood or at a party chatting it up with the person nearest to them (anyone will do!). Or if they have on their “I’m Bored Twin” face, be ready to take off on an adventure for the day or weekend, or be left behind — they’ll go without you and find someone else to join in on the fun.

“Remember, Elements describe the general temperament of your personality. Qualities describe the general modus operandi of your personality…”

Did you realize there is more to an astrological profile than the Star Sign (aka Sun Sign, Birth Sign) you were born under? In fact, your astrological profile is a complex and multi-layered, making you unique. In basic terms, it involves a Sun, Moon and Ascendant Star Sign, with each equally important. Then you have your planets, each with an astrological sign. Plus, all of these signs have characteristics assigned to what are called Elements (see our post, What’s Your Element…) and Qualities. We have written about the Elements, but here we want to give an overview of the Qualities. Remember, Elements describe the general temperament of your personality. Qualities describe the general modus operandi of your personality: There are three Qualities in total (Cardinal, Fixed and Mutable) with four signs assigned to each.

Cardinal is the Quality for the Aries, Cancer, Libra and Capricorn astrological signs. Cardinal signs represent the cardinal points on a compass, with Aries representing East, Libra/West, Cancer/North and Capricorn/South. Note, that on a birth chart, the “compass” points are opposite of what we normally consider north, east, west, south directionally). This Quality and its associated Signs corresponds with the Natural Houses, which are angular (remember from our Basic Architecture of a Birth Chart post that there are 12 Houses), of the Zodiac Wheel: Aries in the 1st House of You; Cancer in the 4th House of Home, Libra in 7th House of One-on-One Relationships and Capricorn in 10th House of Career. They also herald the beginning/end of each of the four seasons…making way for change, new life, possibility. Generally, folks with Cardinal quality are self-starters, leaders, and dynamic. if they’re not careful, they can run roughshod over others.

Fixed is the Quality assigned to Taurus, Leo, Scorpio and Aquarius. These folks tend to be very stable with depth of purpose, but sometimes they can lose sight of flexibility in situations that actually warrant (and succeed with) a change of opinion or approach. This Quality represents the “middle” of each season, or the “stable” part or the status quo/routine of a season. If you change the routine for some of these folks, they can dig in their heels like no other! The best thing is to ease them into a change, or make it seem like their own idea! That said, you’d want these folks on your side in any battle. They can be stalwart champions.

Mutable is the Quality assigned to Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius and Pisces. Mutable signs change “with the wind,” able to adjust to whatever the demands are of the moment. They also can take on characteristics of the other two Qualities, making them highly adaptable to situations. Because of this adaptability, they often can offer the remedy that is called for in a particular situation. On the job they can be excellent managers. This Quality corresponds with the end/beginning of each a season, a time of transition and acceptance that it’s time to move on to what’s next.

To determine what your personality’s Quality actually is not just about your Sun Sign (Birth Sign) is. A birth chart analyses should take into account the Qualities of your Sun, Moon, Ascendant and planets, and then tally them in total (For more on what makes up a birth chart, read Basic Architecture of Birth Chart). You could have a Cardinal Sun but Mutable Moon and Ascendant, and planets having all three Qualities. In that case, with your Moon and Ascendant and several planets of Mutable Quality, it’s likely you’d exhibit more Mutable Quality characteristics that that of the Element of your Sun Sign, Cardinal. So you see, there is much more to your Star Sign—and you’re a complex and unique individual, maybe similar to others in some ways, but truly with your own birth personality.